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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 20, 2017)
BASKETBALL/1B 38/28 8-MONTH STUDY TO SIMULATE MARS 6A RAMBO SHINES AFTER TRANSFER FRIDAY, JANUARY 20, 2017 141st Year, No. 69 One dollar WINNER OF THE 2016 ONPA GENERAL EXCELLENCE AWARD IONE Proposed budget includes big cuts Lawmaker’s framework includes no new taxes By CLAIRE WITHYCOMBE Capital Bureau SALEM — The co-chairs of the Legislature’s joint budget-writing committee Thursday presented a spending plan that included cuts in services to refl ect the state’s expected $1.8 billion short- fall for the next two-year budget cycle. The $20.265 billion budget outline presented by Sen. Richard Devlin, D-Tualatin, and Rep. Nancy Nathanson, D-Eugene, refl ects that shortfall and describes potential cuts to general program areas such as health care, education and public safety. Devlin and Nathanson said the framework makes large cuts to key state services. “To be clear, to be clear, we do not believe the resources as allocated in this document are suffi cient,” Devlin said in remarks during a press conference at the Oregon State Capitol. Senate Majority Leader Ginny Burdick said in a statement that the frame- work demonstrated a need for revenue reform. The state’s Republicans, meanwhile, presented the framework as an opportunity to cut state spending. Both parties stressed maintaining “critical” services; the framework, if implemented, could mean changes ranging from higher college tuition costs to cuts in dental care for low-income people. Gov. Kate Brown’s $20.8 billion recommended budget released Dec. 1, was put together assuming $897 million in new revenue gathered through new taxes and the closing two tax loopholes. By contrast, under the framework presented by Devlin and Nathanson does not assume the new revenue Brown proposed. Under the plan, the Oregon Health Authority spending would be 27.5 See BUDGET/12A Staff photo by E.J. Harris Sixth-graders Kalvin Rietman, portraying President-elect Donald Trump, and Alexandrea Cavan, portraying fi rst lady Melania Trump, lead a procession during the Ione Community School’s presidential inauguration on Thursday in Ione. Elementary democracy Ione school pre-enacts inauguration on eve of D.C. spectacle By JAYATI RAMAKRISHNAN East Oregonian Staff photo by E.J. Harris Fifth-grader John McElligott, portraying House Speaker Paul Ryan, swears in fi fth-grader Cameron Proudfoot, portraying Vice President-elect Mike Pence during the Ione Community School’s presidential inauguration on Thursday. Most people never get to attend the presidential inauguration in Washington, D.C. — but Ione resi- dents got to experience a ceremony of their own Thursday at the school’s traditional mock inauguration. Ione has been hosting a pre-en- actment of the presidential inaugura- tion for more than 20 years as a way to teach students about the process, with students from kindergarten to sixth grade playing roles. Sixth grader Kalvin Rietmann played the role of president-elect Donald Trump, and Alexandrea Cavan played his wife Melania. Students from the fi fth and sixth grade classes played the roles of Trump’s children, Vice President-elect Mike Pence and his wife, and other dignitaries who will attend the national event. More inside For more on the real Trump inauguration see page 10A Students also represented local offi cials, such as Ione’s mayor Rod Taylor and Morrow County Judge Melissa Lindsey. “We hope it helps them under- stand government,” said retired teacher Barb Collin, who now works as a substitute teacher at the school. “One of our former teachers, Diana Kincaid, thought of it to teach kids about the culture and about democracy,” said Linda Neiffer, a fi rst-grade teacher. “We have a mock election, too — all the kids, kindergarten through sixth grade, get to vote.” See PRESIDENT/12A Hansell, Barreto seek to Lawmakers to consider air regulations for dairies curtail emergency clause Recommendations made by task force in 2008 By GEORGE PLAVEN East Oregonian Oregon lawmakers may fi nally be ready to follow through on air quality controls for dairy farms orig- inally put forth by a state task force nearly a decade ago. Senate Bill 197 would direct the Environmental Quality Commission to adopt a program for regulating air emissions from dairies — something the Oregon Dairy Air Quality Task Force recommended to the Depart- ment of Agriculture and Department of Environmental Quality back in 2008. ODA and DEQ are the two agen- cies in charge of issuing permits for confi ned animal feeding operations, which include dairies. The program requires what’s known as a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System Permit, which outlines how a dairy will handle manure and protect “I think this is a reac- tion to the Lost Valley Ranch permit, and continuing to fi nd a way to oppose that.” — Marty Myers, Threemile Canyon Farms general manager against groundwater contamination. There is no oversight, however, for air quality. In its fi ndings, the Dairy Air Quality Task Force found that dairies do have the potential to release several kinds of harmful emissions, including ammonia, methane and hydrogen sulfi de. The report called for establishing the Oregon Dairy Air Emissions Program by 2015, though the legis- lature never came up with funding. SB 197 would revive that effort, with rules adopted by the Environmental Quality Commission to take effect in See AIR/12A Say fast track for laws has gotten out of hand By PHIL WRIGHT East Oregonian Two Eastern Oregon lawmakers seek to curtail the legislative prac- tice of new bills going into effect as soon as the governor signs them into law. State Sen. Bill Hansell of Athena and Rep. Greg Barreto of Cove, both Republicans, said the use of the emergency clause on bills has gotten out of hand, so they are sponsoring Senate Joint Resolution 15 to make it harder to declare an emergency. Jan. 1 is the traditional date new laws go into effect, about six months after they pass out of the Legislature. Hansell said that’s enough time for citizens to examine bills and decide to move against them through the initiative and referendum process. But an emer- gency clause means the bill takes effect on signing, Hansell said, and Hansell Barreto that makes the process to challenge a law “virtually impossible.” Hansell said the emergency clause should be for emergencies, for bills that need to go into action as soon as possible, but lawmakers tack on the clause as a matter of course or to avoid a referendum. The joint resolution proposes amending the Oregon Constitution to require bills declaring emergency to receive at least 2/3 majority support in the House and Senate for passage. “It’s going to require folks to consider if they want the clause,” Hansell said. Barreto said he did not see a need See EMERGENCY/12A
